When I Was Yours(50)

“Hemmings, yes. Thank you. So, yes, I spoke to Dr. Hemmings over at the UCLA Medical Center. I have had the scan sent over to him. He wants to have Casey transferred to UCLA first thing in the morning, so they can do more tests. So, she will stay here for the night.”

“So, the tumor is back?” I manage to get out.

The doctor looks at me. “I can’t say for sure exactly what is wrong with Casey without having further tests done. But given her history of a prior cancerous tumor to the brain…yes, it is possible that is the case. But I will emphasize not to panic because, even if the tumor has returned, it does not mean it’s cancerous this time.”

All I can hear is, The tumor has returned.

It’s happening again.

“When can we see her?” I ask, desperate to see my sister.

“Casey will be transferred to the children’s ward shortly. I’ll arrange for you to see her before she goes up. You can stay the night with her, if you wish, Mr. Taylor?”

“Yes, I’d like that. Thank you.”

“Right. Well, a nurse will be through soon to take you to see Casey.”

“Thank you, Doctor,” Dad says.

The doctor disappears back through the door he came in through.

Dad turns to me.

I can see it, the fear, in his eyes.

My heart starts to break. I force myself to keep strong for Dad’s sake. He needs me now more than ever.

“Mr. Taylor?” I turn to see a dark-haired lady walking toward us. “Sorry to bother you right now, but we need you to fill out some paperwork for us.”

Dad lets out a tired-sounding breath, running his hand through his hair.

“Is it anything I can do?” I volunteer.

“No, it’s fine, Evie,” Dad says. “I can do it. Why don’t you and Adam grab us some drinks to have while we wait to see Casey?”

“Okay,” I say. “Coffee?”

“Perfect. You need some money?”

“No, I got this.” I pat my purse.

Adam and I walk down the hall to where we saw the coffee machine.

“I’m so sorry, babe,” Adam says as we walk. He catches my hand, holding it.

“Yeah, me, too. It’s not going to be much of a Christmas for you, I’m afraid. We’ll be spending it in the hospital with Casey. Maybe you should go see Max—”

He stops me in the middle of the empty hall and turns me to him. “No way am I leaving you. I can’t believe you’d suggest it.”

“I just want you to have a nice Christmas,” I say, thinking back to what he told me in the supermarket.

“I will have a nice Christmas because I’ll be with you. I don’t care where I am, Evie, so long as I’m with you.”

Tears prick my eyes again. I’m so lucky to love him and have him love me back.

I slide my arms around his back, hugging him, and I press my cheek to his chest. His strong arms come around me. I can hear his heart beating strong and solid through his shirt.

“I love you,” I murmur.

“I love you, too.” His fingers brush through my hair.

We stand there for a moment, just holding each other, until I reluctantly let go, and we start walking to the coffee machine again.

I reach for my purse, but Adam stops me. “I’ll get these. What do you want?”

“Coffee, please.”

Adam gets three coffees, and I carry mine and Dad’s while Adam carries his own as we head back to the waiting room. We’re just passing by a room when I hear my dad’s voice inside, bringing me to a stop.

“I really am sorry that I don’t have my credit card with me. It’s in my wallet at home, and I left in a rush with Casey.”

“Like I told you before, Mr. Taylor, it’s not a problem.” It sounds like the lady from before. “Just make the payment whenever you can. You can come in and make it, or just call, and we can do it over the phone. And here’s the leaflet that I was telling you about. It describes the available payment plans. It might be worth looking into them with the level of care that Casey might need.”

“Thank you.” My dad’s voice comes closer toward us, so I duck behind a partition wall with Adam following me.

Payment plan. I didn’t even think about the cost for Casey’s treatment.

We’re barely managing to get by as it is. This is going to break us.

I close my eyes, releasing a sigh.

“Your dad doesn’t have insurance, does he?”

I shake my head. Then, I open my eyes. “No. He had it when he was working, but after that, he didn’t get any. Casey’s first round of treatments wiped us out, and we couldn’t afford to get insurance after that, as the premium was higher because she was already diagnosed with the illness. I don’t know how we’re going to manage the payments for her treatment now.”

“Let me help.”

My eyes flash to his. “No.”

He puts his coffee down on the floor. Then, he takes both the cups from me, putting them next to his.

He takes my face in his hands. One hand is warmer than the other from the coffee he was holding.

“You don’t need to struggle or worry about this. I have the money to pay for whatever treatment Casey needs. Then, you can just focus on being there for her.”